Lightning-protector for electrical apparatus.



No. 676,l85. Patented lune ll, l90l.

F. GATTINGER.

LIGHTNING PROTECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS (Application filed Mar. 28,1896.) i (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 676,185. Pa tent ed l ne u, I90I.

F. GATTINGEB.

LIGHTNING PROTECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.

(Application filed. Mar. 28, 1896.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

UNITED ST T S PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ GATTINGER, or VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

LIGHTNING-PROTECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 676,185, dated June 11,1901.

A plication filed March 28, 1896.

. To aIZZ ZUhOWb it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANZ GATTINGER, a

subject of the Emperor of AustriaHungary,

. able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

. This invention has relation to lightning protectors forelectrically-operated apparatus or appliances- -such as telegraph,telephone, signaling, and other appliances of the kindand is moreespecially adapted for use in and for the protectionof apparatus or a'ppliances operated by currents of low potential, such as aboveenumerated, although I do not desire to limitit to use in conjunctionwith such apparatus or appliances exclusively. p

The protection afforded to electrically-operated apparatus by thelightning-protectors hitherto employed is not sufficient under allcircumstances,as is well known to electricians, and the causes thereofare also well known, as Well as the fact that during'electric storms thefunction or operation of'the apparatus so protected isas a ruleinterrupted.

Myinvention has foritsobjectalightning-- protector forelectrically-operated apparatuses so organized as to afford practicallyabsolute protection against atmospheric electrical discharges withoutinterfering with the working of the apparatus during the operation ofthe protector, or, inother words, during an electrical storm, as willnow be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of alightningprotector constructed in accordance with my invention, thecontact-plate for the series of grounded carbon conductors being shownin dotted lines; and .Fig. 2 is anend elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is adiagram illustrating the a, a, and g.

SeriaI No. 535,231. on a.)

connections between the elements of the protector, the line, and theground, respectively. Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views illustrating amodified arrangement of the aforesaid connections, and Fig. 6 is also adiagram illustrating an automatic cut-out interposed in the connectionsbetween the, lightning-pro.- tector and the apparatus to be protected.

My improved lightning-protector consists, essentially, of three seriesof carbon plates The series of plates at and a I may term collectors orreceivers, in that they are directly connected with the line 'or feederterminals l-Z, leading, respectively, to and "from the apparatus to beprotected, while the series of carbon plates 9 I may term thedischarging-plates, in that they are grounded and receive current fromthe collecting-plates, so as to discharge. the high-p0 tential currentsas fast as collected by the plates at a, leaving the line open to theworking currents of low potential to operate the protected "apparatus.The arrangement of the plates (1, a, and g is such that'a plate 9 isinterposed between a pair of collecting-plates a a, and to facilitate'the connection in series of the several sets of plates they arepreferably so arranged that the plates 0. will overlap or project beyond the plates a at one end of the apparatus, while said platesa, willoverlap or project beyond plates a at the opposite end of the;apparatus, so that vertical conductive bars cl and d can be convenientlyconnected with the ends of the series of plates 0. and a, respectively,as shown in Fig. 1, said vertical bars being respectively connectedthrough suitable binding posts or clamps with the line-terminals Z andZ, leading to and from the apparatus A to be protected, Fig. 6.

The discharge-plates g are so arranged relatively to thecollecting-plates a and a as to overlap or project beyond one side ofthe series of plates at and a, so that a single vertical conductive bard (shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, in full linesin Fig. 2, anddiagrammatically in Fig. 6) may be employed, said bar d being suitablygrounded, as by wire h, Fig. 6. l In practice and to provide a morereliable 'IOO connectionbetween the three series of .cari bonplates andtheir I'GSPBClZlV-Q-CODG-GClH-VB.

I, v the supporting-frame is provided viitl'l q-itable screw clamps orbinding-postsbars I preferably interpose a good conductor-such as ametallic foil, for instance-between the plate ends and their respectiveconductive bars. It is obvious, however, that conductive rods may beemployed on which the several series of carbon plates maybe mountcd-ethat is to say, the projecting ends of the carbon plates may haveperforations for the passage of the rods.

as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or, as shown in Fig'gbuta'single-discharge-plate g, placed incontactjith the ends or sides ofthe se-; ollecting or receivingplates et -and a, i

may 0 used a, aga e 9 may be they must be suitably spaced from oneanother, and this may be'; doneby narrow strips of insulating material,I pmffirbly'an incombustible material, as nar- 5."

rpwstrips of mica b.

1h. slia ck of plates a, a, and g,arranged'-j i vely to one another,-asspecified, ismopnted-i-n a suitable non-coed u'ctive fram- 1 ingcomprising base and top plates m and n a n, Rigs. 1 and 2, to -which theconnecting rel barrei'd, and d are secured by means'of risen forfonnec-ting the line-terminals l and l and sible to obtain bymolding acarbon plate havcarbon I endeavor to obtain plates having rather-"rough"surfaces. The more orless rough-surfaced plates when juxtaposited pre-"sen'tto one anotherinnumerable points,fo'rmi gas many point collectorsand transmits tots-,and by providing a suitable'number of plates of therequired superficial area forcachser-ies, of such plates I obtain aprotectorcapable of receiving and discharging or conducting to earth allsuch static charges which would otherwise destroy the apparatusprotected thereby without interfering withthe passage of the Workingcurrent thrpugh the line and hence without interfer .ingwith theworkin gof said apparatus d uring atmospheric disturbances. 1

In the cons-truction'of my improved light-- BiDgTPI'QlQQGtOI'lhQ nu mberof collectin g-plates wand a relatively to the number of dischargeplatesg, their superficial areas, and the dis tances between them aredependent upon the capacity-41s., the cross-sectional area-of thelinewire or feeder. Hence these factors will vary inaceordance with thecapacity of On the other hand, a discharge-plate 9 may bearrangcd be:tween each two collectingor receiving plates as, and 0; instead ofbetween two couples of such,

"'Wh-ateverlhe arrangementof the plates this to bethe case. a that thedescribedproteetpr will perform the" grpund wire h with the conductivebal'sl ,d'ldfand- (Z respectively. 3 v

the line or-feeder in orderthat the latter may be relievedof maximumstatic. charges.

An idea may be formed of the capacity of,

a lightning-protector constructed in accordance with my invention fromthe following: In a protectoreach of the three series of will haveasuperficial area of 2 X 10 X 14:280. ch1 and i a collective. superficialarea of 2. '3.0;8,400 emf, i-These areas. are w cred with an infinitenumber (millions) of col- 'lectingand' transmitting points, and if thecapacity or cross-sectional area of theline wire or feeder isproportionate-to this-area it;

becomes evidentthat saidlinewire, er feeder will be relieved I ofatmospheric. electrical H I static charges as fast as itbecomes-charged, said charges being at once conducted-toearth. Such anapparatuswouldefficiently protecta telegraphicor telephonic-instrument,f n- -in- .1 stance, and practice has fully demonstrated Practice has,also shown described function even when the line is" p chargedwith;comparatively-small-quantities of static electricity, and thisis-due tothe 1 large collecting anddischarging areasof the l p formerplatesa and a. continuonsly-re'cei-vthree series ofcarbon plates (1, a,and g, the

ing orcollecting the charges, while the latter plates .9 continuouslydischarge the sam e'-'-- that is, conduct the'sameto earth. .The accomes impossible, and although the arrange- I mentfofthe carbonplates issomewhat similar j Itis well known that it is practically im pos- Theair-insulaa dielectric in view of the-fact that opposite faces of -theplates act as point-collectors;

while thenarrow strips 1) of dielectric ma-' terial merely perform thefunction of me chauical separators to properly space the car.- 1

hon plates and areas smallas consistent with the proper spacing of saidplates, seas tof I avoid even a veryslight condensatiomwhich wouldresult in a reduction of the cfficiency of the apparatus. The latteracts essentially as a point collectoror transmitter to conductdisruptive or destructive electric charges from lineor feeder to earth.7

When the lightning-protector is in operation, there is not theslightestsparking-even during the most violent electric atmosphericidisturbances,the passage of the static charges being accompanied bymoreor less audible buzzing or hummingseunds only.

From whathas been said it will readily be understood that during theoperation of the lightning-protector itis not necessary to cut l :outthe apparatus or instrument protected,

however, be used, if desired, whereby the protected apparatus isautomatically cut out of the circuit including the protector duringelectrical atmospheric disturbances. Such a with a suitable contact 3"in the path of a. a corresponding contactsecured to a spring 3 3Ocut-out I have shown in Fig. 6, which in its essential features is of awell-known construction and arrangement. Itconsists of an electromagnetS included in the connections 19 l and q, that connect the two series ofcarbon plates a and a of the lightning-protector G with the line orfeeder L and in which the apparatus A to be protected is also included,a branch from conductor q being connected carrying the armature s of theelectro-magnetS, and electrically connected with the'conductor p, thusproviding a short circuit for currents of high potential, such asatmospheric electrical discharges, whereby the apparatus A isautomatically cut out at each electrical discharge, electromagnet Sbeing energized and its armature s attracted. This energizing of theelectromagnetS will probably take place simultaneously with theenergizing of the induction-coil ot' the apparatus A, and owing to thelow resistance of the electromagnet (five to six ohms) its almostinappreciable self-induction and absence of rernajnence the core willattain its magnetic saturation much more rapidly than the core of theinduction-coil of the apparatus A and will therefore attract itsarmature smuch sooner, thus providing a by-path for the highpotentialcharges. This of course lasts as long as the atmospheric electricaldischargesa few seconds only-sothat the operation of the apparatus Awill not be interrupted for any length of time. The armature-spring 3should, however, be arranged so as to'depend vertically from its supportin order to reduce as much as possible the power required to A overcomethe inertia of the armature s and renderitmore sensitive to theinfluence of theelectromagnet S, and consequently more rapid in itsoperation to close the short circuit.

The tension of the armature-spring s is adjustable through the medium ofa screw-rod and nut r, and the adjustment should be such that thearmature will not only be quickly attracted when the electromagnet isenergized, but will be as quickly retracted when said magnet isdemagnetized.

I have shown the automatic cut-out simply as an additional or auxiliarysafety device. I have found by extensive practice that it can bedispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent,'is-- 1. A lightningprotector forelectric circuits, comprising a number of carbon plates respectivelyconnected in sets and in parallel with opposite terminals of the circuitwire or feeder and with the ground, said carbon plates of suchsuperficial area and so arranged relatively to one another as to conductto earth without sparking all of the atmospheric electric charges saidwire or feeder is capable of taking up, substantially as set forth.

lectors and transmitters, said plates respectively connected in sets andin parallel with opposite terminals of the circuit wire or feeder andwith the earth, said carbon plates of such I superficial area and soarranged relatively to one anotheras to render their opposite faceseffective and so as to conduct to earth, without sparking, all of theatmospheric electric charges said wire or feeder is capable of tak ingup, substantially as set forth.

3. A lightning protector for electric cir cuits, comprising two sets ofjuxtaposited car bonplates, one or more plates of one set alternatingwith one or more plates of the other set, said sets respectively inparallel with the opposite poles of a source of electricity, and

one or more similar grounded plates arranged to take current from boththe aforesaid sets of plates, for the purpose set forth.

4. A lightning-protector for electric cir cuits comprising two sets ofcarbon plates, one

of a source of electricity, dielectric narrow spacing-strips betweeneach two plates, and

one or more similar grounded plates arranged to take current from boththe aforesaid sets,

for the purpose set forth.

6. A lightning-protector for electric cir cuits comprising two sets ofcarbon plates, one or more plates of one set alternating with one.

or more plates of the other set, said sets re spectively in parallelwith the opposite poles of a source of electricity, thin, narrow;refractory dielectric spacing strips between for the purpose set forth.1

7. A lightning-protector for electric c ir' I cults comprising threesets of jnxtaposited carbon plates alternating with one another; one setconnected in parallel with one pole of each two plates near. theiropposite ends, and one or more similar grounded plates arranged to takecurrent from both the aforesaid sets,

waless 1 1 w tht e other p leof said source; and the thir e n pa al ewiththe eartht erthe gpurpose set forth,

; 1" In testimony whereof I afli x tin presence of two Witnesses.

XVitnesses; v v

J QSEF ZENETNAN, IFIARRY BELMONT.

a sou ce o el ctrici y-and th ther 111 nata -i FRANZ eA-rrrnenaf a 5 mysignature

